Affirmative Action Bans and Enrollment of Students From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in U.S. Public Medical Schools
Authors: Dan P. Ly, Anupam B. Jena
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2022)

LettersNovember 2022Affirmative Action Bans and Enrollment of Students From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in U.S. Public Medical SchoolsDan P. Ly, MD, PhD, MPP, Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhDDan P. Ly, MD, PhD, MPPDivision of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, and Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CaliforniaSearch for more papers by this author, Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhDDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and National Bureau of Economic Research, Boston and Cambridge, MassachusettsSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L22-0297 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE: Dr. Zema points out that the student body population at U.S. medical schools seems to be diversifying over the past several years. We are heartened by this change. However, we note 2 caveats.Recent research suggests that changes to the collection of data on race and ethnicity by the Association of American Medical Colleges, which allowed students to choose more than 1 race and/or ethnic group, may make interpreting absolute trends in diversity difficult (1). It is critical to note that our study examined relative trends—trends in diversity of medical schools in states with affirmative action bans relative ...References1. Brodt E, Valenzuela S, Empey A, et al. Measurement of American Indian and Alaska native racial identity among medical school applicants, matriculants, and graduates, 1996-2017. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4:e2032550. [PMID: 33464317] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.32550 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. McFarling UL. ‘It was stolen from me’: Black doctors are forced out of training programs at far higher rates than white residents. STAT. 20 June 2022. Accessed at www.statnews.com/2022/06/20/black-doctors-forced-out-of-training-programs-at-far-higher-rates-than-white-residents on 28 September 2022. Google Scholar3. Ly DP. Historical trends in the representativeness and incomes of Black physicians, 1900-2018. J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37:1310-2. [PMID: 33876377] doi:10.1007/s11606-021-06745-1 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Sabado-Liwag MD, Manalo-Pedro E, Taggueg R, et al. Addressing the interlocking impact of colonialism and racism on Filipinx/a/o American health inequities. Health Aff (Millwood). 2022;41:289-95. [PMID: 35130069] doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01418 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Dan P. Ly, MD, PhD, MPP; Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhDAffiliations: Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, and Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CaliforniaDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and National Bureau of Economic Research, Boston and Cambridge, MassachusettsDisclaimer: The views expressed in this comment are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M21-4312. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAffirmative Action Bans and Enrollment of Students From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in U.S. Public Medical Schools Dan P. Ly , Utibe R. Essien , Andrew R. Olenski , and Anupam B. Jena Affirmative Action Bans and Enrollment of Students From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in U.S. Public Medical Schools Michael Zema Metrics November 2022Volume 175, Issue 11Page: W146-W147KeywordsAfrican American peopleHealth economicsHispanic peopleNative American peopleRacial and ethnic discriminationRacial and ethnic issuesStructural racismUndergraduates ePublished: 15 November 2022 Issue Published: November 2022 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2022 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...